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The Sunken Tower
The party surveys the large body of water before them. The water is filled with muck and slime, and occasional large bubbles rise to the surface and pop with a green mist that hangs heavy in the air. There is a violently offensive odour that stings the eyes and throat. In the center of the lake, on a small island, the top 10 feet of the stone tower is visible above the water. On the far side of the lake, the party spots a small wooden shack. Grub decides to transform into a turtle to swim across (fortunately protected from the diseased water by her inoculated immune system) while the rest of the party decides to take the long way around the lake to the shack. Kodachi and Connor decide to scout ahead of the adults, and run afoul of a bizarre creature that slowly raises itself from the swamp. With the body of a water buffalo covered in scales, it's neck is elongated and serpentine, ending with an oversized head that hangs low to the ground. It gives off the strong stench of rotting meat and a thick purple haze pours from it's open mouth. "....there is an animal called the Catoblepas. In appearance it is about the size of a bull, but it has a more grim expression, for it's eyes are not large like those of oxen but narrower and bloodshot. And they do not look straight ahead but down on the ground. When it glares like a bull it immediately shudders and raises it's mane, and when this has risen erect and the lips about it's mouth are bared, it emits from it's throat pungent and foul-smelling breath, so that the whole air overhead is infected, and any animals that approach and inhale it are grievously afflicted, lose their voice, and are seized with fatal convulsions. This beast is conscious of it's power, and other animals know it too and flee from it as far away as they can." ''-Dermot, Historia Legendaris'' The catoblepas charges at Kodachi and Connor, who are separated from the rest of the group, barreling into them and knocking them down. They try to hide behind a nearby tree while the beast comes around for another pass, but it simply slams through the weak swamp vegetation and crashes into them again, sending Kodachi flying and knocking him to the brink of death. In his last breath, Kodachi is visited by a spider deity who agrees to breath life back into him in exchange for another life; when the spider calls for him he must return the favor. Denton and Irving catch up and with their combined forces are able to fell the beast, Denton narrowly avoiding a mouthful of poison breath due to the protection of his deity. Irving is able to harvest some scales and a poison sac with enough toxin to create 3 doses of dangerous catoblepas poison for Kodachi. Grub and Bundly arrive at the shack, and the rest arrive shortly to begin the search. There, they find a simple shack with an old bed, pantry, trunks, and several bookshelves covered in scrolls and tomes, and a number of glass vials full of biological samples. They find the Historia Legendaris, an incomplete bestiary started by Dermot, and a hidden book written in the old tapestry script. On the front cover, a symbol of a book and quill in open palms: a symbol that Connor remembers seeing on a book his parents kept well hidden in their home. They also grab a few vials from the shelf, and using a small boat found near the shack they make their way to the tower proper. The tower has been boarded up and sealed to prevent it from flooding further, but with strength and persistence the party makes their way through and eventually to a room dominated by three statues made of dried mud, depicting two giant toads and a central figure resembling a toad with an extra set of legs and a third central eye. The corners of the room are piled high with bullywug eggs and Denton detects a presence from behind one of the statues: a humanoid figure with two large bulbous frog eyes, slimy skin and webbed hands. Though the figure is hesitant to give much info to the party at first, they eventually loosen his tongue and he explains his situation. The figure introduces himself as Quartle, and says he has taken over the body of Dermot. Quartle was once a minor deity, a god of fecundity and water. He ruled over a beautiful and bio diverse domain, until he was tricked by an unseelie trickster known as Erlinda. Erlinda deceived him into eating a poison root that fouled Quartle's water, poisoned his domain and killed most of his followers. He knows not how to stop the corruption that pours from him. Now, he hides in Dermot's body to avoid what he calls the Forlorn: a group of humans from eons ago that through magic were able to grab onto a small piece of divinity, and grew so powerful they challenged the gods and a brutal war was fought. Now, many of the old gods are dead, in hiding, or only mere shadows of their former selves. The Forlorn back the Word as their minions on the mortal plane, who keep magic and the old religions contained, restricting the power of the old gods that rely on the faith of mortals to grow their power. Quartle translates the cover of Connor's book, which is titled "Preservers", and the text on the scrap of tapestry that Milo gave them. "...Loth traveled north from the Hewn Mountain to the crown of the world to consult the giant Griminhild, where he learned the origins of the Forlorn and their power." Category:Weaver Category:Session Summary